


How I Met Your Father

by Fire_Bear



Series: Klance Month 2018 [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (at least... someone is pregnant), Children, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, How I Met Your Mother AU, Klance Month 2018, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Omega Verse, Pre-Heat anyway, Pregnancy, week 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-17 14:10:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16097225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Bear/pseuds/Fire_Bear
Summary: This is the story of how your father and I got together - it involves me not taking care of myself, a trip to the pharmacy and coming across Lotor.





	How I Met Your Father

**Author's Note:**

> Why do I write things in first person? I hate it. 
> 
> This is a How I Met Your Mother AU but I cut out the stupid bits at the end and the fact that the mother isn't around. 
> 
> The eldest child is 14/15/16 (I can't decide on the exact age). The youngest is 12.

“I never did tell you the story of how I met your father, did I?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“What? But I don’t remember finishing it!”

“It wasn't finished? Ah…”

“Urgh. Aquí vamos…”

“Well, I could tell you the story or you could help me clean the bathroom…”

“Er… The rest of the story will be cool.”

“Yeah! …”

“Oh, good! … Let’s see. Where was I?”

“I think you went on about some guy called Lotor?

“Ah! Yes. So…”

* * *

Lotor had been a complete jerk and I was still trying to get over it. Hunk and Pidge did what they could but nothing could really perk me up for long. Sure, I made sure that I kept up my skincare routine and I laughed and joked with them but it felt more like… Well, it was as if I was acting for their benefit and it grew tiring. Both for them and me…

“Really, Lance,” said Pidge one night. “If you don't want to be here, you can go up to your apartment.”

I looked around the bar and saw couples and groups of friends and… a bachelorette party? Sighing, I looked back at Pidge. “It’s not that I don’t want to be here. I just… don't like couples just now.”

“Hm?” said Hunk from the other side of the table, too busy smiling at Shay to look at me. “Did you say something, Lance?”

“Oh, Hunk,” said Shay with a giggle. “You’ve got some sauce on your…” She gestured at her face and bit her lip to hold back her laughter when Hunk missed the glob of sauce at the corner of his mouth. “Here. Let me.” And she proceeded to sweetly use a napkin to wipe it away.

“Aw, thanks, honey!” Hunk said, beaming happily.

Raising an eyebrow at Pidge, I gestured at them. “You can smell that weird happy beta scent from over here.”

Pidge frowned. “You can smell them from over here?”

I flinched. “Um… I might’ve… not gone… to the pharmacy lately?”

“You-!” Pidge punched me on the arm - which, you know, is not a good thing to do to an omega, since they bruise easily.

 

_[“Isn’t that just you, Papi?”_

_“Hmph. Fine. It’s still not good to hit someone you know bruises easily and will still have a bruise two weeks later.”_

_“Is that because of your skincare regimen? Maybe we can stop the mask thingy days-?”_

_“There’s still a bathroom to clean…”_

_“Sorry, Papi…”]_

 

“Are you really avoiding going anywhere but here or work?” Pidge demanded.

“No. It’s just…” I grimaced and avoided her gaze. “Narti works at the pharmacy and I don't want to bump into her…”

“Then go to another one.”

“But they're too far!” I whined, stretching out my vowels.

“What’s too far?” asked Keith as he suddenly appeared with the drinks. He set the tray on the table and snagged a chair that I was pretty sure someone had been using until a few seconds before.

“Any pharmacy not associated with Lotor,” Pidge explained. “Lance has run out of heat suppressants.”

Keith blinked. “Oh. So that’s why… Your scent’s changed,” he told Lance.

“Urgh, already?” I groaned, flopping onto the table in my woe. “Why’d my body have to do this to me?” I pouted and glanced up at Keith who was staring back at me.

“You really need to get some,” Keith pointed out.

I snorted. “I know,” I said and winked.

Shaking his head, Keith picked up his glass of beer. “You’re gonna end up having a heat.”

Grimacing, I sat up and took hold of my own glass. “I know. Just… I don’t wanna go to _that_ one. What if I bump into Lotor and his girlfriend? I don’t wanna have to have one of those conversations that go ‘oh, how are you’, ‘you’re still working in the same place’, ‘ _I’ve_ become the richest person in the world _and_ I have a beautiful wife and a hundred little babies’.”

“He’s not going to have children,” Keith pointed out. “It’s not been nine months yet.”

“Thanks for pointing that out,” I grumbled.

“And you need to go to the pharmacy you _usually_ go to,” Pidge added. “It’s no good you avoiding it just because of one person. Besides, Narti might not even be there, and Lotor and his girlfriend certainly won’t be.”

“Urgh,” I repeated. “Don’t wanna.”

“What if I went with you?” Keith offered. “I’ve got nothing to do today. Hence.” He gestured around the bar.

“Speaking of days off and work,” I said, turning to Pidge. “What is it you do again?”

“Something too technical to discuss when you’re finishing your drink and going to the pharmacy,” Pidge retorted, sipping on her rum and coke.

“Uh, I have an entire glass to get through,” I pointed out, shifting it towards her to let her see it. “I’ve got time for you to give me the dumbed down version.”

Pidge turned in her seat, one leg even coming up to curl on the bench. She made eye contact with me and I startled, confused. I glanced at Keith, who shrugged, watching both of us. When I looked back at Pidge, she smiled, stuck her hand out and grabbed my glass. Before I could say or do _anything_ , she put the glass to her lips, still smiling, and proceeded to down the entire thing in one. I watched open-mouthed, eyes wide. Once finished, she slammed it down and her smile widened. “You’re finished now.”

“Uh- Wha-? K-Keith isn’t!”

She spun around but Keith grabbed her glass. “Nuh uh! I’m drinking this!” he said. I relaxed at his words. That was a mistake as he proceeded to knock his drink back, as well. “And done. Come on, Lance.”

“But! I’m not ready!” I protested.

“It’s okay,” Keith said, a small (cute) smile on his face. “I’ll be there to help you out.”

“No, I mean… I’m literally not ready…”

“What are you talking about?” Pidge asked, frowning. “You were the first one here.”

“Uh… Yeah, but…” I reached up and unzipped my hoodie to reveal my pyjamas. “Nobody seemed to notice… But I’m not going however many blocks away in these!”

Keith sighed. “Okay. You go change and meet me down here.”

“Urgh. Don’t wanna-”

“Lance,” said Pidge, her tone making me flinch. “Seriously, you have to do this. It’s not just that you might have a heat. I mean, I haven’t seen you flirt with anyone in weeks.” She looked at me sympathetically. “I know you thought you were in love with Lotor but…”

“He was a slimy jerk,” Keith interjected. “You’re too good for him, Lance, so stop moping.”

“Not… quite how I was gonna word it,” Pidge muttered.

I frowned. “You never said anything at the time,” I pointed out.

“Oh, hey, are we talking about Lotor?” Hunk suddenly asked, apparently tuning back into the conversation. When I glanced over, he and Shay were holding hands on top of the table, fingers intertwined. “’Cause I never trusted that guy.”

“What?!” I exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I did!” Hunk protested.

“Multiple times,” Shay added.

“I even made a conspiracy board about it,” Pidge told me.

“And I mentioned it in every second sentence I said to you,” Keith commented.

“Okay, okay!” I said. “You told me so. I get it. I just…”

“Didn’t wanna hear it,” Keith finished for me. I shrugged in response.

“Well, you’ve been moping way too long,” said Pidge. “Up and at ’em.”

“Fine. Geez.”

* * *

So I went upstairs and got dressed in a couple of outfits before deciding on a blue turtleneck sweater and a pair of jeans that… uh… fitted me really well. Anyway, I didn’t really know why I was getting dressed up. I was just going with Keith. But it felt like I needed to make a good impression, to look like I hadn’t fallen to pieces after Lotor left. Maybe not specifically to impress Keith but to show the world, maybe, that I was fine.

And maybe show Lotor if we _did_ bump into him.

Not that we were going to, no siree.

Of course, after collecting Keith from the bar (who looked to have been drinking water, of all things), we went to my local pharmacy. And, lo and behold, who should be working but Narti. Not only that, but Ezor and Zethrid were leaning against the desk, laughing and chatting with her. I stopped when I spotted them but Keith grabbed my elbow and dragged me off down an aisle. None of them commented as we disappeared into the store and I had to wonder if they recognised me or if I’d let myself go so much that I didn’t match up to their memories.

“Calm down,” Keith said as he dragged me to our destination.

I jolted a little at his words, suddenly realising how strong my scent had become in my dismay. What was even more alarming was the fact that I could smell Keith’s soothing scent, the one he’d used when Pidge had been crying about her brother’s accident and when my brother had been arrested for that stupid case of mistaken identity. This time, though, I could smell it more clearly, thanks to the lack of suppressants. It was like being in a forest, all wood and leaves but it was infused with baking bread. To me, it was almost like I was taking a lovely stroll through a wooded area near my grandmother’s house. Or maybe Hunk’s, when he eventually got his own place.

The tension drained from me and I took a deep breath. I felt at ease for the first time in a while and, when we finally stopped in front of the heat suppressants, I smiled at him. “Thanks,” I said.

Keith blinked before he turned his head away, focussing on the boxes laid out before us. His scent shifted to something I couldn’t pinpoint but I didn’t have time to ponder. Keith picked up a box - the wrong one - and handed it to me. “No problem,” he said, gruffly.

Returning the box to the shelf, I picked up the right one and waved it at him. Keith glanced at it then looked at the shelf as if he was memorising the exact brand and type of suppressants I used. Somehow, that made something inside me warm and spread throughout my entire body. I could feel my cheeks heat and I spun on my heel to hide it. “Well,” I said as I marched off down the aisle. “We may as well pick up some other stuff while we’re here.”

Thankfully, Keith followed and helped me pick up some shampoo, soap, moisturiser, face cream, face masks, deodorant, cologne (for getting back out there) and numerous other bits and pieces. Keith ended up carrying it all, I’m not sure how. I think he must have taken some things off me to begin with and then I started to pile things into his arms. When he started to complain about picking up a basket, I plopped a packet of toilet roll on the top of the pile, obscuring his face completely. Once I’d gotten enough, we returned to the front of the shop and the counter where I hoped we would only find Narti.

No such luck. Ezor and Zethrid were still hanging about. This time, they watched us approach, amused expressions on their faces. Narti just looked neutral, though she kept glancing towards the door.

“Why, Lance!” said Ezor with a tone of surprise. “I haven’t seen you in so long. How are you?”

Both Ezor and Zethrid could probably smell the underlying current of distress which flooded through me at the sight of them. Zethrid would be able to smell more, of course, as she was an alpha and I shrank away from her, letting Keith stepped forward with their purchases. He glanced at me and I had to shake away the feeling that I should let Keith respond for me.

“I’m good,” I said. “You know, living life, having fun, finding love and all that.”

“Really?” Zethrid asked, raising an eyebrow. “You don’t smell like you’ve mated.”

Narti, who had been scanning through the things I wanted, held up the box of suppressants. “Oh!” Ezor said. “And it looks like you’re buying suppressants, too.”

“It’s none of your business,” I insisted, frowning at them.

“Aww!” said Ezor, pouting. “Don’t be like that! We’re just concerned about you.”

Keith snorted. “Sure.”

“It’s a good thing you came in today,” Ezor added, ignoring Keith entirely. “After all, he’s been wanting to see you again, to talk to you.”

“I don’t wanna see him,” I told her, dismissively.

“That’s why it’s a good thing you came in today.”

Stilling, I stared at her, worried about the implications. She only looked back, smiling to herself. My scent changed again, obviously, and I shifted closer to Keith, almost clinging to the hem of his shirt. “What…?” I began - and then the front door opened and his scent hit me.

Stepping into the store was none other than Lotor himself. His hair still flowed beautifully from his head and his shirt was unbuttoned at the collar. That same shirt was tight enough to show off the muscles I knew very well he had and the pants he wore were _tight_. With his usual smug smile, he looked just as handsome as every day I had known him. He held open the door for his girlfriend, Acxa, who had changed her hair but otherwise still looked as aloof as before. However, the smile she gave Lotor as she stepped in suggested that she was happier than I had ever seen her.

When I tried to take a deep breath, I could hear how shaky it was. In fact, my scent had grown bitter with a fear I didn’t want to have, that I didn’t want to face. I shrank closer to Keith who, surprisingly, grabbed my arm and pulled me in close. His scent shifted again. As close as I was to him, I could smell that comforting scent, the one which made me relax almost instantly. However, I could also smell the threatening scent, the one meant to scare other alphas off of alphas’ territories. Keith’s was, as usual, the smell of burning, harsh and acrid, practically crackling in the air.

Lotor noticed, as he usually did. It was as if he could see or smell every tiny detail. Remembering that, made me shudder and I couldn’t tell if it was from my uneasiness or something else. Anyway, Lotor looked over and his eyebrows lifted. “Well, well,” he said, in that precise way of speaking he had. “I certainly wasn’t expecting this. Lance. What brings you here?”

This time, Keith’s scent surrounded me, and I looked to him instead of making my own decision. Keith didn’t even glance at me; he stepped forward so that I was partially shielded and answered. “He’s here to shop,” Keith said, his voice laced with disdain. “What you generally do in a store unless you have nothing else to do and can hang out with your friends.” He sent a pointed look at Ezor and Zethrid.

They did not appear to be pleased with this. Both of them pushed off the counter to stand at their full height, so suddenly that I was startled. With a, uh… manly grunt-

 

_[“You mean, you squealed, right Papi?”_

_“Wha-? Why on Earth would you think that?!”_

_“Dad sneaked up on you the other day and gave you a hug from behind. You squealed then.”_

_“I-! Did not!”_

_“You did, Papi. I heard you upstairs.”_

_“Wha- Whatever. Look, let me get on with the story.”_

_“Right…”]_

 

“Oh?” said Lotor, approaching us. I could smell his scent, the one he used when he was trying to win people over. Back when I’d been dating him, it had smelled like champagne and cake. Now, though, it was almost sickly sweet and I suddenly realised why my nose often felt itchy when I was around him. I almost laughed when I realised that I was no longer attracted to the snake of a man. But he continued talking and I grimaced instead. “What’s this?” he said. “You’re answering for Lance, now?”

“So what if I am?” Keith demanded, his scent thickening. “It’s none of your business.” He turned to Narti. “Are you finished yet?” he demanded.

I could see that Keith’s anger was starting to get the best of him. “Calm down,” I murmured, laying a hand on his elbow and trying to use my scent to calm him. Unfortunately, it had been so long since I had last been off my suppressants that I wasn’t sure it worked. In fact, it only seemed to make matters worse since Keith spun to me, concerned and furious eyes flitting over my body. I felt like he was undressing me with his eyes and… well, it turned me on.

“Oh, this is just precious,” said Lotor, lifting a hand to hide a laugh he didn’t let loose. I furrowed my brow and watched him step closer. “Lance is off his suppressants,” he continued and my heart stopped. If he could tell from way over there, was it too late to start taking the suppressants again? It wasn’t wise to start taking suppressants once the pre-heat had lasted for a certain amount of time and, if he could smell me from across the room, it was likely that I was going to have to face a prolonged heat. Alone. Unless… Well, I couldn’t remember when it had started? Was it too long? Would I be having a heat, like Keith had warned me? And my workplace was still looking for a reason to fire me. Maybe they would think that being off for too long was evidence that I couldn’t take care of myself and couldn’t take care of the responsibilities being asked of me.

Unable to stop it, I whimpered, my instincts driving me to seek an alpha’s comfort. When I realised what I had done, I winced and flinched back from Keith. He let me go but his fiery scent receded to fill the air with his comforting one. Almost immediately, it felt like I could breathe again. Surprised, I glanced at him and, when I saw how worried he looked, I flashed him a small smile.

“So what?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at Lotor.

“Well, I was just wondering how long it will take for you to be able to smell Keith’s scent,” Lotor commented, looking smug. “Properly, I mean.” His words confused me for a second – until I remembered that, without suppressants, some people could pick out the emotions in the scents of others. And Lotor was correct: I would be able to smell how Keith felt about things like I’d never been able to before. I was intrigued but also rather alarmed.

Sure, it had been a long time since I’d felt attracted to Keith, back in college on those two disastrous dates. But the thought of knowing more about him made me feel… unbalanced. Nervous, I glanced between Keith and Lotor. While Keith looked uncomfortable (and also like he was trying to contain his anger), Lotor looked overly smug. I frowned, anger rising.

Stepping out from behind Keith, I tried to step in front of him, though he made it difficult by moving so he could shield me. Ignoring that, I locked my gaze on Lotor, glaring straight into his eyes. I was proud to see that Lotor’s eyes widened. “Hey,” I snapped. “Leave him alone.”

For a moment, everything quietened. Lotor slowly raised an eyebrow and I could feel my resolve crumbling with it. “What’s this? Have I made a mistake? Has Keith here _actually_ told you?”

I blinked, confused. “Told me what?”

“Shut up, Lotor,” Keith growled. He gripped my arm and drew me back, stepping towards the counter. “Well?” he snapped at Narti. His fiery scent was getting much stronger, more so than I’d ever noticed before, and it was starting to get to me.

It looked like I really needed to take those heat suppressants.

Narti placed the bag on the desk and pointed to the display. With fumbling fingers, I tried to pry my wallet from my jeans. Of course, I chose to wear the skinny jeans and I couldn’t wedge my fingers into the pocket properly. Somewhere behind me, one of the girls giggled. I had no doubt it was Ezor and I felt myself flush – though that could have been pre-heat.

“I’ll get it,” Keith murmured, right in my ear. I looked up in surprise to find him already pulling bills out of his own wallet. Touched, I watched him pay with a glare and he picked up the bag. Then we turned towards the door – and Lotor.

“Hm, yes,” said Lotor, his voice thick with smugness and knowing. “You’d better get him home before some other alpha comes and takes him away. Right, Keith?”

Keith grabbed my arm again at his words but he didn’t answer. I could tell that there was something more in what Lotor had said and that Keith knew what it was. But just what was going on? I decided to wait to ask as Keith guided me past my ex. Lotor watched us the whole way – I could feel his eyes on us – but I didn’t look at him once. I was too preoccupied with Keith, worried at his scowl and intense gaze, focussed on the door and escape. Just what was upsetting him so much?

“What, lost your voice?” Zethrid asked, scoffing as Keith ignored her as well.

“He just wants something he can’t have,” Lotor commented and my eyes widened. What exactly were they talking about?

That time, Keith stopped. I froze in my tracks, alarmed. My scent was heavy with it and, when he turned back to Lotor, Keith put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. It was strangely calming so I took a breath and watched them, hoping it wouldn’t end in a fight.

But Keith suddenly smirked, his eyes flicking to Acxa. “Well, at least I don’t want Lance when I’ve already got two girlfriends. How’s Allura, by the way? I haven’t seen her in a while, since she’s so busy.”

Lotor’s mouth fell open and he quickly turned to Acxa. Behind him, Zethrid and Ezor were looking at each other, frowning. Acxa, meanwhile, was wide-eyed, stepping away from Lotor. To me, it looked like there was dawning realisation on her part. Keith turned me away before I could watch the fallout and we quickly left, heading back to my place.

* * *

When we got back, I dropped the bag on the couch and turned to him. “Okay, Keith, what the hell just happened?”

“Take your suppressants,” Keith ordered me.

“Uh… Nuh uh.” I stepped close to him, ignoring that stupid, amazing, soothing scent of his to jab him in the chest. “Don’t tell me what to do. You’re not my alpha.”

For some reason, that made Keith turn away from me. He let out a huff of a breath and stalked to the kitchen. “Your scent’s getting stronger,” he snapped at me from over his shoulder.

I flinched at the reminder and hurried to the bag. Dumping it out onto the couch, I grabbed the box, opened it, grabbed a strip and stuck two in my mouth at once. I just had to hope that I was in time. When I turned to go get a glass of water, Keith was already at the serving hatch with one in hand. I accepted it and downed the glass, swallowing the pills as well. Once I’d had enough, I gasped for breath as I wiped my mouth with the back of my wrist, eyeing Keith.

“So?” I said, a little calmer now. “What does Lotor know that I don’t?”

“It’s nothing important,” Keith replied.

I snorted. “Really? Seemed pretty important to me.”

“Lance,” he said in clear exasperation.

“Keith,” I replied, eyes narrowing.

“You don’t need to know,” Keith told me pulling a dissatisfied face. His scent grew a little sour, like overripe apples. But there was also an underlying smell, something I couldn’t quite make sense of. However, it _did_ make me feel hopeful and I wondered if that was exactly how Keith currently felt. Displeased but hopeful. “Not right now,” he added.

Lotor’s smug face flashed into my head and I knew I was going to be seeing him again. And probably soon: Acxa had not looked happy and I was sure Lotor would pay me a visit. He might even tell me exactly what Keith didn’t want me to know. I hated the thought of being wrongfooted, of Keith whispering secrets about me to Lotor. Or maybe the secret had to do with Keith…

Frustrated, my hormones still wild from the pre-heat, I slammed the glass down on the counter. I was lucky that it was a thick one and it didn’t shatter. Anyway, Keith looked alarmed and he raised a hand as if to stop me. That only fuelled my anger. “So Lotor can know and I can’t?” I demanded. “Do you not trust me to keep it from the others or something?”

“No. That’s not it-”

“Oh, so you _do_ trust me?”

Keith didn’t even hesitate. “Yes. Of course I do.”

“Then you should tell me what Lotor was talking about,” I said, as if that was the natural conclusion to draw from his admission.

He hesitated, glancing around the room. Then he sniffed the air and took another moment, probably assessing my emotional state. I almost growled when I noticed that. Thankfully, Keith finally opened his mouth and I stilled in expectation. “Lance, I…” he murmured – and blushed, glancing away again.

My heart seemed to skip a beat. Was he starting to say what I thought he was going to say? With a thundering heartbeat, I leaned closer, placing my hand on the counter for balance. “You, what?”

Taking a deep breath, Keith lifted his gaze. “I love you and I would like to-to, um, court you… If you’d like.”

I stared at him, wide-eyed and certainly blushing. Despite expecting it a few seconds before, it was still a shock. After everything we’d been through over the years, the fighting and the eventual friendship, I wouldn’t have thought of Keith falling for someone as unexciting as _me_. Then again, there had been that initial attraction. Could it have lingered for him to develop feelings?

“Lance?” said Keith, jolting me from tumultuous thoughts. “Are you okay? Your scent’s all over the place. I can go if you-”

“No!” I exclaimed, launching myself forward to catch his wrist. “No, I… I don’t want you to go. I…”

“Yeah?” murmured Keith, watching me.

My heart was doing overtime, both at the thought of Keith loving me and the thought of him _leaving_. When the thought occurred to me that he’d be sad if I _did_ make him leave, my heart seemed to stop. I took a deep breath and willed my body to relax. Unfortunately, until the pills kicked in, my body wasn’t listening to me and I was sure my body was giving off a variety of scents.

Looking away from him, I said, “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Keith said, instantly. “I’ve always liked you. Sure, it pissed me off at first, when you were kinda being a jerk-”

“I apologised for that!”

“-but you grew on me. And I came to see that you’re beautiful, kind, caring, loving, bright, brilliant, supportive-”

“God, stop!” I cried, lifting my free hand to cover my blushing face. I was too afraid that Keith would leave if I used both hands.

“If this is unpleasant-” Keith began.

Dropping my hand, I glowered at him. “No! Of course not! But… But, I-”

“If you’re going to list your bad points, I already know them all,” Keith told me. “And I accept they’re a part of you. I don’t care about them anymore. I love you.”

I made an odd, strangled sort of sound. “You- Can you not-? I haven’t even said it back yet!”

Keith twisted his wrist until I had to let go. For a second, I thought he was going to leave me. Then he grabbed hold of my hand and held it, running his thumb over my knuckles. “You don’t need to. I won’t force you to.”

“Well, I mean…” I paused, taking a moment to sort out my feelings. That just made matters worse because I knew that I didn’t love him. Not right then. I _wanted_ to. But Pidge had been right in that I was moping: I hadn’t properly gotten over Lotor, though I had realised how horrible a man he was that day. I suppose that I was finally free of Lotor, in a way, but it seemed like it was too soon to be throwing the word ‘love’ around. However… “I definitely like you,” I told Keith. “A lot. So, um, yes. Court me.”

“Really?” Keith said, sounding shocked.

“Yes.” I nodded and, gathering my courage, lifted his hand to press a kiss to it, soft and delicate and fleeting.

When I straightened, Keith was staring at me. “Can I kiss you?” he blurted out.

I felt my face heat up. “Um. Right now?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

I expected him to come back around into the living room area but Keith just leaned forward and pulled me closer. Despite being surprised, I still went willingly, letting Keith draw my upper half into the serving hatch. Though at an awkward angle, we tilted our heads and, after a brief hesitation on both our parts, we pressed forward, as one, into a kiss. To begin with, it was chaste, a simple press of lips against each other. However, my scent was still stronger than usual and I must have been broadcasting my contentment, for Keith let his tongue sweep across-

 

_[“Ew, Papi!”_

_“What?”_

_“You don’t need to describe the kiss, God!”_

_“Is this the end of the story?”_

_“Of course not! There’s loads still to tell you. I mean, there were some… issues with the courtship, you know, and I want to tell you about them. They’re good life lessons. … Or so_ Pidge _says.”_

_“Aunt Pidge says a lot of things, Papi, doesn’t mean you should believe her.”_

_“Pfft!”_

_“... What was that?”_

_“Nothing.”_

_“Look, just let me tell you this story, will you?”_

_“Mm…”]_

 

When we eventually broke apart for breath, I could only stare into Keith’s lidded eyes. His face was flushed, the red bright and colourful on his pale skin. Even with his hair all over the place from the wind outside, he was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. I couldn’t even compare and I wasn’t even mad about it. In fact, I desperately wished for another kiss so I decided to grant it myself and drew Keith into another kiss.

And another.

One more.

Again.

Eventually, the fact that we were separated by a wall frustrated me enough to do something about it. As we kissed for what felt like the hundredth time, I growled into Keith’s mouth and yanked my hands away. I kept my lips pressed to his, tongue pressed-

 

 _[“Ew, ew,_ ew _!”]_

 

-as I pushed myself up onto the counter and through the serving hatch. I clambered through and threw my arms around Keith’s neck. In turn, he slipped his arms around my waist. Then he pulled me towards him, evidently yearning closeness, until he had pulled me nearly off the kitchen counter. Quickly, I hooked my legs around his waist until he was practically holding me up on his own, bracing me against the counter. We didn’t register anything falling or the clatter of utensils and neither of us cared, though Hunk would later scold us both.

When we pulled back that time, Keith shook his head, looking dazed. “I think we should stop.”

“What? Why?” I asked, blinking as the statement dragged me from my daze.

“It’s too soon. Right?”

“Nope,” I said cheerfully, grinning at him.

“Well, I can still smell your pre-heat…” Keith trailed off and his head drifted down until he had his face in my neck.

I laughed. “Silly,” I said, fondly. “I’ve taken the pills. I’m not gonna get pregnant, even if they’ve not kicked in yet.”

“Um…” said Keith as he lifted his head, eyebrow raised. “Why are you talking about getting pregnant when we’re just kissing?”

“Why are you saying we should stop when we’re just kissing?” I retorted.

Keith’s cheeks turned red. “I, uh,” he said.

“Come on,” I said, smiling encouragingly. “There’s a bed and no roommate and neither of us have to be somewhere. Right?”

“Well, um…” Keith glanced around the room, clearly trying to look for some excuse. He settled on saying, “What about the courting? I need to do that for a few months-”

“Months?!” I exclaimed, pouting. “I want you now.”

“Lance,” said Keith, exasperated. “I want to do it the proper way.”

“You already did,” I pointed out. “Back in college. You asked me on a date. Maybe you didn’t say the word ‘courting’ but you took me on some dates. And we already know each other pretty well. Why does everyone think that you need to do all the sweet, cute stuff _before_ the sex.” I frowned. “That’s probably why Lotor was such a jerk: he got the sex he wanted so he didn’t bother with me after that. And nobody ever-”

Pulling me back into a kiss, Keith shut me up. Breaking away, Keith took a deep breath. “Fine. Let’s do it your way. But no more talking about him, okay? Forget about him.”

“Of course I will,” I assured him with a smile. “After all, I have you.”

Keith laughed. “Come on, then.” He stepped away from the counter, obviously going to lower me to the ground but I clung to him like a koala. I wrapped my legs more tightly around him and smiled innocently at his amused bewilderment.

“Carry me,” I mumbled, trying to pout as cutely as I could.

Shaking his head, Keith did as he was told, making his way through the kitchen and living room to my bedroom. His hands slid down from my hips to my ass which he squeezed a few times. I had to force myself to stay quiet, though a few hums of appreciation still slipped loose. Then he kicked open the door and I had to gasp in surprise. Keith strode in (pausing only to kick the door closed) and dropped me on my bed where I made a surprised noise. I bounced where I was, watching him crawl onto the bed, his eyes never leaving mine. Spreading my legs, I-

* * *

“Woah, no, stop! Papi!” cried my eldest child, Rei. My beautiful girl buried a red face in her hands, her long, black hair sliding forward to hide her all the better.

“What?” I said innocently, grinning.

Beside her, the youngest, my adorable boy, was making gagging noises. I made a noise as I tried to keep myself from laughing and Julio lifted his head to glare at me. “We don’t wanna know the details, Papi!” he complained.

“Why not?” I asked before I pressed a hand to my mouth to stop my laughter.

“Papi!” Rei complained. “It’s- Urgh!”

I couldn’t help myself; I laughed. “I wasn’t actually going to tell you anything. That’s personal. Though, maybe I should tell you what he said after it…?”

“Don’t wanna know,” Julio grumbled.

Rei, however, paused. “Was it romantic?”

“Definitely,” I answered.

Before I could tell them what it was, however, we all heard the front door open. Every one of us perked up and we looked at each other. “Dad’s home!” Julio exclaimed, jumping up from the couch. Neither me nor Rei could stop him as he rushed out of the living room and into the hall. Then again, Rei wasn’t that far behind.

Smiling, I braced myself on the arms of the chair I was sitting in and heaved myself up with difficulty. I grimaced as a muscle twinged but it passed quickly and I placed a hand on my round stomach. My baby didn’t seem to notice; no kicks or upset tummy from the movement. Unable to keep the smile off my face, I rubbed my stomach gently and waddled out to the hall.

The noise levels had increased as Rei and Julio told Keith about their days. Keith himself looked happy to be home, though I could see the slump in his shoulders that betrayed his exhaustion. I supposed that flying huge planes for long stretches at a time would do that do someone. Otherwise, he looked quite dashing in the pilot’s uniform he now wore, despite how rumpled it had become. His long hair was tied back, looking neater than it had when we’d gotten together: he had to look more professional as a pilot than he did when he was just a mechanic. Looking down at his children, his pretty eyes sparkled.

“Ah! Listen, Dad,” Julio said, casting a frown in my direction. “Papi’s being horrid again.”

I gasped and placed an affronted hand over my heart. “Me? Being ‘horrid’? What a blatant lie!”

“What have you been up to, Lance?” Keith asked in amusement, managing to get away from the coat hooks.

“I’ve been entertaining our kids like a good little wife,” I replied, grinning. I reached out and, when an exasperated Keith took hold of my hands, I pulled him close to press a chaste kiss to his lips. “Welcome home,” I murmured against them.

“I missed you,” Keith replied, as he usually did. “But in what way have you been torturing our darling children this time?”

“He was gonna tell us about you having sex for the first time!” Rei wailed. Though, when we looked at her, she stopped grimacing and grinned.

Keith sighed. “Lance, why?”

“I wanted to tell them how we met!” I exclaimed. “It’s a complicated story so I had to go into detail-”

“Can’t you keep that kind of detail for one of your books?”

Pouting, I leaned into his side. “But I wanted to show them our romance. And the fact that you never know what’ll happen and not to blame themselves or their type.”

“Darling,” said Keith in an increasingly more exasperated tone. “I don’t think they need to hear about… _that_.”

“Well, Julio needs to get used to it,” I explained. “Did you tell him?” I added to Julio.

Instantly, the adorable kid blushed and ducked his head. Unfortunately, his chestnut-coloured hair wasn’t long enough to hide his face, not like Keith’s or Rei’s. Scuffing his toe on the hardwood floor, Julio mumbled out his news. “I presented today…”

“Oh?” said Keith, eagerly.

“I’m an omega,” Julio told him, glancing up at Keith. He looked almost shy and I had to resist squealing and rushing for a camera. I loved both my children - all of them, actually - and I was proud of everything they did. And I had been so surprised by Rei’s beta status: it had been an exciting time since neither of us had been prepared for that. Now I was excited for a child I could relate to so deeply. My heart felt far too full for my chest and I couldn’t stop smiling. I loved my gorgeous alpha husband and my beautiful beta daughter and my adorable omega son.

“Really?” said Keith, clearly surprised. Despite looking a little more like me, Julio tended to act more like Keith. He was definitely a daddy’s boy and had clung to him since he was a toddler. Both of us had been expecting him to be an alpha but Keith was quick to get over it. Grinning, Keith bent down to give him a hug and take a sniff. When he stood back up, he turned to me. “Have you got the spare room ready?” he asked.

“Of course,” I said. “But I took him to the doctor earlier to double check and he said that the heat won’t be for another couple of days. So he can still go to school,” I added, pointedly.

“Aww!” Julio said, pouting.

“Sorry, querido,” I said, ruffling his hair. “Bedtime. Dad’ll be here tomorrow.” I pointed at Rei who had considerately stayed out of the way to let her brother have his five minutes of fame. “Same for you, missy.”

“But I promised Jo-” She paused for a second. “Anne… That I would talk to her later.”

“Jo… anne, huh?” I said. “As long as you’re in bed by ten. Though…” I looked at Keith and gave him the sweetest smile I could. “I’m not sure how much longer I can keep my hands off your father…”

“Ew!” cried both our kids as Keith chuckled at their reaction.

“You’re pregnant, Papi!” Rei exclaimed, disgusted.

“And you’ve got school tomorrow. Scoot.”

It took a few minutes of bustling around until our children were finally in their rooms with the lights off. Whether they actually went to sleep or not, I left up to them. If they fell asleep in class tomorrow, I’d tease them for the rest of the week in ‘punishment’. In the meantime, I went into the kitchen where Keith was peering down at one of the instant meals he usually ate when he arrived home in the middle of the night.

“Nope,” I said, grabbing it from him and throwing it back in the freezer. Opening the fridge, I pulled out the meal I’d set aside for him. “Here. I knew you were coming home around now and I’ve got leftovers.”

“Ah,” Keith said. “Definitely the best husband.”

“I’m still waiting for the mug,” I teased. I stepped up beside him and leaned against the counter, sighing in relief as I took some off the weight off my feet.

As soon as he’d put the microwave on, Keith sidled closer and slung an arm around my shoulders. He pulled me close and slipped his arm down to my waist so he could hold me close. I leaned against him and hummed in appreciation. “So,” he said as we listened to the buzzing sound of the microwave. “You were telling them how we got together?”

“Mm,” I said. “ _I_ think it’s romantic. ‘I’ve wanted to do this since we met’. Just what every-”

“Stop!” Keith cried, blushing. “I don’t want to remember what I said then, God.”

I laughed and turned my head to look at him. “Still, the bit before that was romantic. You know, kissing me through the serving hatch. It was like kissing through the window or over the balcony or something.” I took the opportunity to press a kiss to Keith’s jaw.

“Hm. I don’t know about that…” The microwave made a high-pitched beep and we both ignored it. I looked up at Keith, intent on letting him eat, but Keith was smiling at me with lidded eyes - a look I knew well. A shudder ran through him and memories flashed through my head of our times in bed, of the nights we’d spent together in my heats - of the nights Keith had gotten me pregnant. The smile became a smirk as Keith smelled my scent changing. “I thought it was more hot than romantic.”

“‘Hot’?” I echoed.

“Mm. When you crawled through the hatch to get to me. I got fully hard, instantly.”

Imagining Keith doing the same, I let out a shuddering breath. “Did I look hot?”

“Yeah,” breathed Keith.

“Hotter than I do now?” I teased.

Keith buried his face in my hair and let out a sound somewhere between a purr and a growl. “No,” he said as I stifled my giggles. There was a snuffling noise as he scented me. “You smell fine but are you well? Nothing happened while I was away, right?”

I laughed. “Of course not. Stop worrying. I’ve got Hunk and Shay, remember? And I’m sure Pidge would turn up, too. Eventually. Don’t hurt yourself worrying over me.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Keith grumbled.

A noise came from the region of Keith’s stomach. “Eat,” I ordered.

“Okay,” Keith agreed easily, grinning.

Shaking my head, I watched him take his plate to the table. As he passed me by, I yawned and he gave me a look. “I’m going to bed,” I said, my earlier tiredness finally catching up on me despite how I had managed to put it off with the storytelling. “Come to me when you’re done.”

“I will,” Keith promised.

“Maybe it can be a repeat of that night,” I suggested, throwing Keith a teasing wink. His delightful chuckle and pleased scent followed me up the stairs. Despite everything I had accomplished since college, I had never been happier.

**Author's Note:**

> NB: Keith wasn't a pilot when they got together. But he... finally went and did what he'd always wanted to do. Sort of. A commercial pilot means he gets to see Lance and his children more. Lance works as something I never actually decided on but he also writes novels in his spare time and when he's on maternity/paternity leave. He's slowly becoming more popular and, when the next kid (or kids? Surprise twins!) is born, he's doing well enough that he quits the other job. 
> 
> On the kids names: I thought they should have one kid have a Cuban name and the other Korean but... I was looking up Korean names and, on the site I was on, nothing jumped out. But I'd had a vague idea that Keith would want to pay homage to Shiro and his family who had adopted him years before and used a Japanese name. Rei sounded nice and I figured Lance would agree based on if he liked the sound of it. (Their next kid will definitely be something Korean.)


End file.
